Controlling switch



April 12,1927. 1,624,483

J. P. ELLENBECKER coNTRoLLING SWITCH Filed'Marcn 5, 1925 l wif"- waalanulr".

the

Patented Apr. y12, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,624,483 PATENT OFFICE.`

JOHN P. ELLENBECKER, F ST. CLOUD, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO GRANITE CITY ELEC'- TRIC COMPANY, OF ST. CLOUD, MINNE SO'IA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

CONTROLLING SWITCH.

Application filed March 5,

My invention relates to controlling switches intended for general use but especially adapted for use inconnection with electrically operated cranes and the like.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly' in side elevation and partly inv longitudinal central vertical section.;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, with some parts broken away and sectioned;

Fig. 3l is a detail view of one of the members of one of the clamps and its contact plate, with some parts broken away and sec. tioned;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of clampsE with the membersy thereof separated; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the contact plates.

The numeral 6 indicates a rectangular metal housing having supporting feet 7 adapted. to be bolted or otherwise secured to a support for holding the switch. The ends of the housing 6 are extended above the sides thereof and have rounded upper edges.

A displaceable cover 8v for the housing G rests on' the chan'ifered upper edges ofthe sides of said housing and is segmental in cross section to lit the upper eitended ends of said housing. y

Two horizontal supporting shoulders 9 in the form of angle irons are bolted to the inner face of the ends of the housing 6 just below the upper edges of the `sides of said housing. These two shoulders 9` are connerted by a wide longitudinal tie bar 10 located4 centrally between the sides of the housing 6, and a Centrally located transverse tie bar 10 is secured to the sides of said housing and connected toI said tie bar 10 at their intersection. `Formed in1 eachI side and each end of the housing 6 below the supporting shoulders 9 is a large aperture 11. Secured to the inner .face of eachl end of the housing 6' above the supporting 1925. Serial No. 13,173.

shoulders 9 is a block 12 in which is removably mounted an anti-friction bearing 13. These bearings 13 are axially aligned and axially located intermediately between. the sides of the housing 6.

n. rotor assembly 14 and two co-operating contact assemblies 15 are mounted in the housing 6. This rotor assembly 1i comprises a square shaft 16 having at one end a short trunnion 17 and at its other end a long trunnion 18, an insulating sleeve 1S) on the shaft 16 which is square in cross section, and a rplurality of two-part metal clamps Z0 (as shown four), each of which.,

shown, carries diametrically opposite" pairs of circumfeiL-entially spaced. segmental contact plates 21. The trunnions 1.7 and 1S are journaled in the bearings 13 and the end of the shaft 16 engages the respectieve bearing 13 as a stop. The length of the shaft 16 is such that .it may be moved endwise to withdraw the short trunnion from its bearing 13 for a purpose that will presently appear.

A washer Q2 on the long trunnion 1S engages the inner face of the respective bear ing 13 as a stop and .is held in position by a Cotter pin 23 inserted through a bearing in said trnnnion. On the long trunnionY 18 outwardvof the housing 6 is a wheel @el held in position by a set screw 25. This wheel has a channelelike periphery adapted' to receive rope, not shown, by which said wheel may be turned to oscillate the rotor asseinbliv 1d either to the left or the right.

For yieldingly holding the rotor assembly 1st in neutral position andto return the saine to such position there is mounted on the long trunnien 1S between the wheel 24 and respective end of the housing 6 a spring 26, the arms of which normally en.- gage opposite sides Aof a fixedk stop piny 27 secured to the respective end of the housing G. Secured to the wheel 24 is a pin 28' which projects between the arms of the spring 2G and vie-ldingly holds said wheel in normal position. Then the wheel 24 is turned either te the left or the right to operaie the rotor assembly 141, the pin 28 will engage one of the arms of the spring 26 and carry it with it so that when said wheel is released, the rotor assembly will be returned to neutral position. A washer 29 on the long trunnion 18 is interposed between the spring 26 and respective end of the housing (i.

ISDH

Cil

The periphery of the wheel 24 is channelshaped in cross section so as to receive a rope, not shown, by which said wheel may be turned to operate the rotor assembly 14. Secured to the end of the housing 6 under the wheel 24 is a pair of rope guides 30, only one of which is shown.

The members otl each clamp 2O have V- shaped half-seats 31 which lit around the insulating sleeve 19 and are adjustably connected and clamped onto said sleeve by screws 3Q which extend through certain ears 233 ou said membersI and have screw-threaded engagement with certain others thereof. s 3:2 also afford means by which cs 34 are attached to the clamps il). ille segmental contact plates 21 are detachably secured to circumferentially spaced radial llangcs by screws 3G, the hea-:ls ol' which are coimter-sunk considerably below the outer faces of said contact plates.

The contact assemblies 15 yare laterally spaced and the rotor assembly 14 is located therebetween. Each contact assembly 15 comprises brushes 3i' arranged to be engaged by the contact plates 21 of the rotor assembly 14 when rotated from a neutral position either to the left or the right. These brushes 37 are carried by angle brackets 38 mounted on insulating members 39 and secured thereto by pairs of bolts 40. Each brush 37 is yieldingly connected to its bracket 38 by a bolt 41 on which is compressed a coil spring 42 that yieldingly presses said brush against its bracket. These brushes 3T are held in different adjustments in respect to the rotor assembly 14 by set screws 43, having lock nuts 44, which have screw-threaded engagement therewith and impinge against the brackets 3S.

rlhe brushes 37 are further yieldingly connected to their brackets 3S by fiat angle springs -15 secured to said brackets by the bolts and to said brushes 3T by the screws 43 and their lock nuts 44. Certain of the bolts 40 also afford means for securing` the electric wires 46 to the contact assemblies 15. The contactl assemblies 15 are detachably secured in the housing (3 by nutequipped bolts 39 inserted through the ends of the insulating members 39 and t-he supporting shoulders 9.

Removably mounted in the housing 6 below the rotor assembly 14 and contact assemblies 15 are two laterally spaced resist-- ance coils indicated as entireties by the numeral 4T with the exception of their fiat nieta cores 48y set vertically edgewise. rlhese resistance coils 47 are removably supported or. a pair of long` bolts 49 equipped with nuts 50 and which bolts ext-end completely through bores in the sides of the housingr (3 and in the projecting end portions of the cores 4S. The resistance coils 47 are held laterally spaced from each other and from the sides of the housing' G by spacing thimbles 51 on the bolts 49. These bolts 4-9 are anchored against endwise movement to one of the sides of the housing 6 by means of the outer ends of the respective spacing thimbles 51 and nuts 50 which are clamped onto the opposing faces of said side. 'lhe headed ends of the bolts 49 and the respective spacing thimbles 51 extend. through the bores in the other side of the housing (5 with freedom for endwise removal. lhe electric wires for the resistance coils are indicated by the numeral From the above description, it is evident that thc rotor assembly 1l may be removed from the housing (j by .first removing the wheel 24, spring 2G, washer 29 and cotter piu .23 and moving the right-hand bearing 13 inward out of the respective block 1Q; then, by an endwise movementof said rotor assembly to the right to withdraw the short trunnion 17 from its bearing 13. Then, by a movement of the rotor assembly 14- to the left and at the same time lifting the left-hand end thereof to clear the respective end of the housing 6, the entire rotor assembly 14 may be lifted from said housing without disturbing the contact assemblies 15. It is also evident that any one of the clamps 20 may be removed from the rotor assembly 14 by releasing its screws 32 without disturbing any of the other parts of the assembly or any one of the contact plates 21 may be removed from its clamp 2O by releasing the screws 36. lt is further evident that either one of the contact assemblies 15 may be removed from the housing 6 without disturbing the other contact kassembly or the rotor assembly by releasinef the bolts 39 and lifting the same from sait housing.

The apertures 11 are of such size that the resistance coil 48 may be removed therethrough after removing the bolts 49 and spacing thimbles 51 without disturbing any of the other parts of the switch. l

The above described switch may be used in connection with electric motors that vary considerably in horse power, and any desired number of resistance coils 4T ma` be used simply by changing the length of the spacing thimbles 51.

lVhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a housing having in its ends bearings, of a controlling switch including a rotor assembly, said assenibly con'iprising a shaft having at one of .its ends a short trunnion and at its other end a long trunnion, said trunnions being mounted in said bearings, the length of said shaft being such as to permit the assembly to be moved endwise to withdraw said short trunnion from its bearing.

2. The combination with a housing havllo lilo

ing in its ends bearings, of a controlling switch including a rotor assembly, said assembly comprising an angular shaft having at one of its ends a shorttrunnion and at its other' end a long trunnion, said trunnions being mounted in said bearings, the length of said shaft being such as to permit the assembly to be moved endwise to Withdraw said short trunnion from its bearing, an insulating sleeve that is square in cross section mounted on said shaft, and clamps applied around said insulating sleeve and having Contact plates.

3. The structure deiined in claim 9. in further combination with releasable means vfor holding the trunnions against endwise movement in their bearings.

4t. The structure defined in claim 2 in further combination with a removable operator for the rotor assembly on the long trunnion outward of the housing. n

5. The structure defined in claim 2 in 'further combination with a removable operator for the rotor assembly on the long trunnion outward of the housing, and a removable torsion spring on the long trunnion, the arms of said spring normally engaging a stop on the housing, said ope ator having a member extendingy between the arms of said spring and normally holdingl the rotor assembly in neutral position and arranged to carry either of the arms of the spring with it during a movement of the operator to return the rotor assembly to neutral position.

6. The structure defined in claim 2 in which each of said Clamps comprises tivo separable members that are adjustably connected and have angular half-seats to receive the insulatingsleeve.

7. The structure defined in Claim 2 in which the contact plates are removably secured to the clamps,

In testimony whereof I aliX my signature.

JOHN P. ELLENBECKER. 

